(Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)
Its candy-coloured campiness and easily mocked title make this saccharine family musical a much harder sell on discerning adult viewers than the children for whom it's intended, but the dual amphibious/aerial functionality of the titular motor car is an easy sell on me! Perfect for seaside picnics, escaping incompetent pirate ships, or taking a quick flight over to Bulgaria.
It's comforting to know your set of wheels has your back should you run into any trouble (particularly of the Decepticon variety) while driving in a rough neighbourhood. Too bad it only comes in yellow... suppose I could paint it a sleek red and black, but then I'd have to call it “Ladybug”, and that name just doesn't have the same sting to it.
Stylish, zero emissions (not counting that nifty light trail), and compact storage too! It would also bring an end to my road rage – er, grid rage – because nobody would dare cut me off if I were cruising in one of these puppies. I know they don't want me cutting them off!
Websters defines a vehicle as “a means of carrying or transporting something”, in which case Mary Poppins' ballin' umbrella absolutely counts. Sure, it might garner less attention than your run-of-the-mill stationwagon, but if I could just up and float to any destination I wanted, I'd totally take it everywhere. Plus it's lightweight and good for conversation on those long, lonely flights.
(Return of the Jedi)
I've been needing a new ATV for camping, and if I had my way, I'd be riding one of these babies through the backwoods. It drives about ten times faster than a standard all-terrain vehicle, and sounds about one hundred times cooler! It's also great for hunting; you could chase down your target and blast it at the same time. Remember to wear a crash helmet (like that'll help)!
I would never even take this beauty out of the garage. I would just keep it there for the sake of fixing it up while singing uptempo 50s rock music and performing elaborately choreographed dance routines. People don't spontaneously break into song and dance nearly enough in real life, but this automatic, systematic, hydromatic 1948 Ford De Luxe would give me a perfect excuse to.
Twin machine guns and revolving license plates in the front. Oil slick, smoke screen, and extendible tire slasher in the back. Inside, a state-of-the-art radar tracker (ie: primitive GPS), emergency ejector seat, and most impressive of all, a car phone! I guess hands-free wasn't such a priority in the 60s. I'll be sure to give the cops my best Sean Connery impression when they pull me over.
Jerry Bruckheimer's neon abomination of a Batmobile got blown up in Batman Forever (not a moment too soon), and Christopher Nolan's Tumbler, while certainly badass, sadly lacks that aesthetic flourish that says “I'm Batman and you're not”. Tim Burton's Batmobile got it just right. Of its many awesome gadgets, my favourite may be those shields. Finally, I can park downtown for more than two hours at a time. What are they gonna do; tow me?
This one doesn't have any unique attributes or gizmos to persuade me. It doesn't need any. It stands out from the crowd by simple virtue of being an incontestably beautiful automobile. It's dramatic death scene near the end of the movie breaks my heart every time. I promise I'd take much better care of my Ferrari than Cameron did.
(Back to the Future trilogy)
Could there be any other choice for the number one spot on this list? As Doc Brown says, “if you're going to build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style”. Ironically enough, the joke that the De Lorean is a decidedly unstylish car has been retroactively undone by the popularity of the film, as it now represents an object of awe and admiration from movie fans everywhere. It can fly, runs on a working Mr. Fusion reactor, and the time-travelling implications are too wondrous to turn down. I could sleep in every day and still be early for work. And you gotta love those flaming skid marks.
"Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads."
